System and method for gathering video data related to operation of an autonomous industrial vehicle

• US 9,146,559 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Raymond Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Raymond Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuss, Jeffrey J., Page, Stephen L., McCabe, Paul P., Donahue, Timothy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US13/796,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20130190963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701/2, 701/28, 701/24, 701/466, 701/494, 701/22, 701/1, 340/435, 340/426, 340/436, 340/438, 318/580, 318/582, 318/581, 318/640, 348/119, 348/159, 348/169, 348/580
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0015 Prevention of collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

As an autonomously guided industrial vehicle travels through a facility images of the adjacent environment are acquired, by either a still camera or a video camera. An image file containing a plurality of the images is stored onboard the vehicle. During that travel, the location of the vehicle is determined. Upon occurrence of a predefined incident, such as encountering an obstacle or impacting an object, an incident message is transmitted wirelessly from the vehicle to a remote management computer. The incident message contains an indication of the type of incident, an indication of a location of the vehicle, and the plurality of the images. The remote management computer responds to the incident message by providing a notification about the incident to one or more persons. The contents of the incident message enables the person notified to take corrective action.

Claims

1. A method for operating an autonomously guided industrial vehicle that travels through a facility, said method comprising:

using a camera to acquire images of the facility as the autonomously guided industrial vehicle travels;

storing each acquired image onboard the autonomously guided industrial vehicle;

the autonomously guided industrial vehicle encountering a predefined incident;

in response to the autonomously guided industrial vehicle encountering the predefined incident, wirelessly transmitting an incident message from the autonomously guided industrial vehicle to a remote management computer, wherein the incident message contains location data indicating a location of the autonomously guided industrial vehicle;

determining the predefined incident is resolved;

in response to determining the predefined incident is resolved, transferring from the autonomously guided industrial vehicle a plurality of the images acquired prior to the predefined incident; and

the remote management computer responding to the incident message by providing a human perceivable notification about the incident.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of the images comprises a video sequence.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the incident message contains an indication of a type of incident that occurred.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the incident message contains at least one of the plurality of the images.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of the images is transferred as part of the incident message.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining an identified location at which the autonomously guided industrial vehicle is located; and

measuring a distance that the autonomously guided industrial vehicle travels from the identified location.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the location data comprises an indication of the identified location and an indication of the distance.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein an identified location is determined in response to determining a given occasion occurs as the autonomously guided industrial vehicle travels, and the measuring measures a distance that the autonomously guided industrial vehicle travels from each identified location.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein providing a human perceivable notification comprises sending an email.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining the remote management computer receives the incident message;

in response to determining the remote management computer receives the incident message, wirelessly transmitting an image request message to the autonomously guided industrial vehicle; and

the autonomously guided industrial vehicle responding by transferring the plurality of the images from the autonomously guided industrial vehicle in a wireless transmission.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of images is stored in one of a plurality of image files onboard the autonomously guided industrial vehicle;

and the incident message contains a designation of the one of the plurality of image files that contains images acquired prior to the predefined incident that caused transmission of that incident message.

12. A method for operating an autonomously guided industrial vehicle that travels through a facility between points of planned stoppages, said method comprising:

occasionally determining a present location of the autonomously guided industrial vehicle, thereby producing an identified location;

a camera onboard the autonomously guided industrial vehicle producing images of an adjacent environment;

storing a plurality of the images onboard the autonomously guided industrial vehicle;

determining an unplanned stoppage of the autonomously guided industrial vehicle has occurred;

in response to the unplanned stoppage of the autonomously guided industrial vehicle, automatically transmitting an incident message from the autonomously guided industrial vehicle to a remote management computer, wherein the incident message contains a first indication of an incident that caused the unplanned stoppage, a second indication of the identified location, and the plurality of the images; and

the remote management computer responding to the unplanned stoppage of the autonomously guided industrial vehicle by providing a notification about the incident.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein storing a plurality of the images stores images acquired during a most recent defined period of time.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the plurality of the images comprises a video sequence.

15. The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising measuring a distance that the autonomously guided industrial vehicle travels from the identified location.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the incident message further contains an indication of the distance.

17. The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising the remote management computer responding to the incident message by providing a notification about the incident to a person.

18. The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising the remote management computer responding to the incident message by sending an email about the incident to a person.